The present embodiments relate to medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging. In particular, ultrasound imaging is enhanced.
Traditional image enhancement algorithms are limited in their ability to perfect an ultrasound image. The image enhancement operates without specific prior knowledge of the anatomy and pathology represented in the image. Basic image processing techniques, such as low pass filters, reduce speckle noise but blur out anatomic structures.
In many cases, imaging artifacts have the same or similar properties to anatomic structures or tissue and hence are not detectable and effectively segmentable by image processing algorithms. The image processing may even enhance the artifacts. High pass filters used for edge enhancement enhance speckle noise. Techniques that are more complex rely on standard image analysis, such as gradient, variance, or simply amplitude-based image segmentation to process selectively various parts of the image. While these techniques work on simpler images, images with artifacts (e.g., clutter, side lobes, grating lobes, or rib shadows) or other anatomy with similar properties may not respond as desired to the complex techniques. For example, gradient edge detection finds edges of the desired anatomy for filtering or enhancement, but may treat the artifact as an edge, enhancing a portion of the image not to be enhanced.